Heartsparks
by thallo
Summary: Lovino never expected to be whisked away by a Hearts noble - and the said noble didn't even get permission to bring him with! Lovino refuses to fall for the man's devious advances. Antonio was obviously just trying to use him or something - right? Besides, five years is a long time to wait for someone as stingy as Lovino. There's more to tell, but you'll have to read to find out...
1. A Warm Day in Hearts: the Prologue

**Main Pairing: Spamano**

 **Rated T (will possibly be changed later). Cardverse and Omegaverse.**

 **I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Don't forget to check my profile for updates on what's going on with me and updates concerning my upload schedule! (I also post links to little oneshots from this universe there :)**

 **Please note that this is just the prologue, it is a lot shorter than the regular chapters will be. :)**

" _Lovino, Lovino, are you going to open it?" Feliciano bounced around excitedly. Lovino scoffed. One would think that it was his birthday looking at how excited he was._

" _Of course I am, idiota, but not with you bouncing around like that." he grumbled. "Calm down, would you?"_

" _I am excited though, Lovi, I know you are going to love it so much and I just really want to see your reaction oh please please just open it -"_

" _That is enough, Feli, let your poor brother open his gift in peace," Grandpa Roma said. "The sooner you stop distracting him the sooner he will open it."_

" _Okay," Feliciano said, sobering quickly. Lovino frowned. Even when he was younger Roma's commands had not quieted_ Lovino _so. But oh well. At least his brother wasn't talking for once._

 _Lovino tore the paper off of the thin wooden box and slid the top out. What he saw made him gasp._

 _It was a guitar, wood the color of his own hair shiny enough for Lovino to see his reflection. Lovino had wanted one ever since he had seen a man playing in the market. He picked it up reverently and held it close to his chest. He looked up at Grandpa Roma, smiling._

The wood far above Lovino was pale and cracked, small holes filtering light through the space. His transition from sleep to waking was a quiet one, the simple opening of eyes. He heard the soft flutter of wings above in the rafters and sighed. Here was a place where he didn't have to deal with Feliciano or Grandpa Roma or anything. He was glad that Feliciano still hadn't followed him to this place. It was only a matter of time before this place too was tainted by his loud shenanigans.

Lovino thought back to his dream. What had caused that particular memory to surface in his mind? It had happened years ago, something Lovino had nearly forgotten. Though not completely. Perhaps it was returning because of what had happened merely a single day after.

" _Ve, Lovino, could I hold it?" Feliciano said softly. "It is so beautiful."_

 _Lovino looked up from where he had been clumsily plucking at the strings to see his brother. "I know," he said. "If you promise not to break it, idiota, then I suppose you could hold it for just a minute."_

" _I promise!" Feliciano said giddily. With a look of wide awe, he accepted the instrument into his hands._

" _How do you play it?" he asked._

" _Here," Lovino instructed. "You hold it like this, and one hand goes here, where your fingers hold the strings. That is how you get different sounds. And then your other hand goes here, where you pull the strings._

" _Oh," Feliciano said. He plucked away at the strings happily._

" _Lovino!" Grandpa Roma called. "Could you come here for a moment, I am having trouble with a particularly stubborn weed."_

 _Lovino casted a look back at Feliciano and his precious guitar. "Be careful, Feli, I will be right back."_

" _Do not worry, Lovi! I am being very careful! I would not want something so pretty to break."_

 _Feeling more reassured, Lovino went to the garden to crouch beside his grandfather._

" _It is kind of you to let him play," Roma said. "This one, here. Put on the gloves."_

 _Lovino slipped them on. He locked his fists around the root of the weed and prepared to pull. "He was annoying me."_

" _Mmm." Roma said, amused. Lovino yanked up with all his strength. The weed barely budged. He released his hold and dug in the dirt with his fingers, loosening the soil around it. He tried again. It was giving._

" _Lovino, Lovino, look what I learned how to -" A sharp cry came from Feliciano, along with a nasty, terrible crunching and snapping sound. Lovino gasped, a sick feeling flooding him._

" _Feliciano?" he called, standing. He hurried over to where his brother was lying on the ground, the destroyed guitar in shards underneath him. Feliciano looked up, already crying._

"Bastard," Lovino muttered aloud. He shifted in the hay, shirt twisting around him, and fell into sleep once more.


	2. A Few Weeks Earlier: Chapter One

**Main Pairing: Spamano**

 **Rated T (will possibly be changed later). Cardverse and Omegaverse.**

 **I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Don't forget to check my profile for updates on what's going on with me and updates concerning my upload schedule! (I also post links to little oneshots from this universe there :)**

 **FireFox Vixen: thanks for reviewing already! You're so quick at that. :)**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: So to lay out the rest of this fanfiction. Every chapter after this one (except for the final one) will cover six months of time. There will be six scenes per chapter, about one every month. Doing it this way helps me personally, because I am not very good at writing things that happen over long spans of time, and I have five whole years to fill here. Okay. Thanks for your time!**

"Hey, are you coming or what?" a voice called. Antonio shouldered his pack with a smile and jogged to catch up with the rest of the group.

"Shoeless already? Your feet are going to be sore tonight," a man joked as Antonio caught up to them.

He merely smiled widely. "I am used to walking barefooted. It will not bother me."

"We shall see…" The man muttered. Another one, a bit younger, spoke up.

"It is your first year, Antonio, do you not think that we understand the hardships better than you?"

Antonio shrugged, brushing brown locks out of his eyes. "I think I can understand my own abilities well enough." he said brightly, jaw tightening a bit.

"Whatever you say," came the response. "Just try not to fall behind."

"I shan't," Antonio replied, amiable once more. "Are we off, then?"

The following weeks were unlike anything Antonio had ever seen. They walked everywhere they went, singing to the birds and not caring when it rained. If it did rain, they merely covered their instruments and packs and kept going, laughing and splashing in puddles. It was like they were all children again, and Antonio loved it.

It reminded him of the days from his own childhood.

" _Tonio, you're an idiot." Gilbert laughed._

" _You still cannot speak correctly, I see," Francis said scathingly._

" _What? It doesn't matter, does it?"_

" _Oh, but it is not 'polite', Gilbert," Antonio teased._

" _Ludwig doesn't care. And he's awesome (not as awesome as me), so you can all shove off."_

 _Francis grinned. He scooped up a bit of the snow at his feet and when Gilbert wasn't looking, threw it at him. It hit him straight in the back of the head. Gilbert let out an indignant yelp and Antonio couldn't stop himself from laughing._

" _Come on, Gil, Francis, we should go back." he said._

" _Since when do you care about the curfew?" Francis asked._

 _Antonio shrugged. "Since my best friends got attacked by a beast last time." he said. "Let's go!"_

" _Oh no, now he is getting to you with those terrible combinations," Francis moaned. The other two laughed as they started down the hill._

The group had already visited three towns so when they got to the fourth, Antonio knew the drill.

"Three days here, everyone, and if you are not here sharply at noon on the third we will leave you behind!" laughter followed this announcement. Antonio split off with two others to find an inn. The travelers weeded through the small village, looking for a good place to spend three nights. There might not be enough space for all of them.

Antonio and his two counterparts found a fairly large inn nearly on the other side of the village, one that was attached to a bar and restaurant. They went inside to get rooms.

"I am very sorry, sirs, but as of now we only have two rooms available." the woman said. Antonio didn't hesitate for a second.

"You two, you should take those rooms, this place looks quite nice and it is my first year, it would not do for me to rob you of comfort. I will look elsewhere!" he turned to go.

"Wait, sir…" the woman said. She chewed her lip nervously. "If there are many of you, by now there will not be any other place open. But the owner of this place is very kind, and he has a large house, so if we speak to him he may be willing to let you stay there -"

"It is not necessary, but if it would do no harm," Antonio said with a smile. "Where does the man live?"

"Just follow the road that goes out of town and you will know you are going the right way when you pass a large tree, just on the side of the road. Then after a little ways longer there is the house. I am afraid that I cannot go with, sir, I cannot leave the inn…" she said.

"That is perfectly alright," he said. "Thank you so much, miss!" He swiveled on his heel and nearly skipped out the door.

The walk took longer than he expected, though he enjoyed it. The birds sang as he passed. In the distance, he spotted a very, very large tree, twisted and old. He burst into celebratory song at the sight of it, then quickly looked round to make sure no one had seen.

The distance to the house once he had passed the tree was passed pleasantly. When he saw the house, he loved it right away. It was large, and homey, with plenty of windows and odd architecture. On the side, he saw what looked to be a garden, and there were plenty of plants hanging in the windows and planted by the door. Cheerfully, Antonio bounced up the the front step and knocked on the door.

"Just one moment, please!" a voice came from indoors. Antonio took a step back and waited patiently, a large smile ready on his face.

When the door opened, a tall man with dark hair stood before Antonio with an inquisitive look on his face. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sir, do you own the inn just in town?" Antonio inquired politely.

"Yes, I do."

"Oh, buena! You see, I am traveling here with friends but it seem that they have run out of room, and the kind lady at the front suggested that you might be willing to let me sleep here!"

The man looked him over, amused. "Well, I suppose it would not do any harm. Come inside, stranger. My name is Roma Vargas, and I live here with -"

"Grandpa Roma, Grandpa Roma, I just figured out - oh, hello there!" an energetic young boy had emerged from another room. "Welcome to our home!" he said, tilting his head cutely.

"This is Feliciano," Roma explained. "He is a regular ball of energy, do not mind him, please. And do not worry if he seems afraid of you, he is an omega."

"Ah," Antonio said brightly. "Well, I never have been very intimidating for an alpha, so we should not have a problem. Right, Feliciano?"

"Right!" he giggled. "What is your name, mister?"

"I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo," Antonio announced with a flourishing bow. "Humbly at your service, Feliciano."

The boy clapped his hands delightedly. "Oh, you are so nice, Antonio! Are you staying here? Please, Grandpa, can he stay?"

"He is staying, Feli," Roma answered.

"Oh, good. Does that mean I get to make dinner?"

"Of course, Feli. You get that started while I get Antonio settled in."

"Thank you very much, señor," Antonio said.

"We have a guest bedroom, up here," Roma said. Antonio followed him up the stairs, the humming of the young boy in the kitchen chasing after them.

"This one," Roma said, opening a door. "The washroom is downstairs, just off the kitchen."

Antonio settled himself in the room, and by the time he was done, Feliciano was calling the others to dinner. Antonio dug in with gusto, admiring the younger's cooking skills. They chatted about Feliciano's new garden, and how sometimes Roma would let him help in the vegetable one, and how Feliciano loved to go for walks. Antonio told them all about living in the city and what his job was like. Feliciano was amazed.

At one point during the meal, Roma suddenly spoke.

"Feliciano, where is Lovino?"

"What, Lovi?" he replied. "I thought you knew he leaves so much no wonder you look so worried! He's in the old barn of course that is where he always goes and sometimes he falls asleep there. It do not know how he can stand to sleep on the itchy hay and honestly I do not know why he likes it so much there but then again I like to sit by that tree down the road and that is kind of weird too. Don't you think, Grandpa?"

Antonio straightened. "Who is this Lovino?" he asked. "Another member of your lovely family?"

"Yes, he is my brother!" Feliciano said excitedly. "After we eat we can go see him if you want to! He might be sleeping but he has to come home soon anyways and you could get a chance to stretch your legs a bit. It is a good thing for everyone! Even Grandpa Roma will get some quiet time to relax."

"Now now, Feli," Roma interrupted with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I am not so old that I don't enjoy a good hustle and bustle in my life. I live for surprises."

"I know, Grandpa," Feliciano said, smiling widely. "Can we go find Lovi now? Please please pleeeeaaase -"

"Alright," Roma said. "Go ahead."

"Come, Antonio!" Feliciano grabbed Antonio's hand and dragged him out of the house. The sun was beginning to set over the fields.

Feliciano led him into the woods. "Lovino always goes here. When he is happy or sad or tired or angry or everything! He thought I did not know where it was but I do!"

The two came across an old red barn close to where the flat land turned hilly. The door was slightly ajar. Feliciano pushed it wider as quietly as possible and the light filtered in.

There was a boy, lying twisted in the hay with his shirt riding up to reveal his flat stomach. He looked like Feliciano, but older and almost cuter. Antonio found himself smiling softly. This boy must be every bit as adorable as his brother.

Feliciano knelt by his brother and shook his shoulder, whispering to him. "Lovi, wake up now, it is time to go home!"

The boy stirred, stretching out and yawning. He didn't say a word as he sat up, eyes still closed. Feliciano took his hand and helped him stand, leading him around. The two were roughly the same height, despite Lovino's advantage in age.

"When he is really sleepy or just waking up he is really lethargic like this," Feliciano said softly. "Try not to make any loud noises, it wakes him up faster. Then he gets grumpy."

Antonio observed the two. Lovino plodded along behind his brother willingly, blind with his closed eyes. He was adorable. Antonio couldn't help but smile.

By the time they got out of the woods, Lovino was waking up more. He finally opened his eyes, blinking a lot and looking around. When his eyes settled on his and Feliciano's linked hands, he ripped them apart. It seemed to bring him to his senses.

"Feli - wait, how did you find me?" he asked loudly.

"Oh, I just went to the barn, that is where you always are!"

Lovino spluttered, unsure how to react. Antonio observed silently. After a moment, he had seemed to gather his thoughts, and storming off towards the house, he started yelling at his brother.

"STUPID BASTARDS WAKING ME UP WHEN I WAS SLEEPING WHY DID YOU DO THAT YOU IDIOTA? AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE GETTING SMARTER AS YOU GOT OLDER BUT NO-O-O -"

The door was thrown open and Lovino stormed in, followed by Feliciano and Antonio. Antonio beamed. Lovino was completely not what he had expected. He liked it even more than Feliciano's adorableness.

Roma was sitting in an armchair, watching the happenings with eyes that had been startled awake.

"Your little one has quite the mouth on him, does he not, Roma?" Antonio said amiably. "It is quite endearing. Just a little while ago he was sleeping so cutely..."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE THAT YOU PERVERT YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW ME AT ALL WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE YOU LOOK LIKE A STUPID FARMER OR SOMETHING -"

"Are you not farmers?" Antonio asked innocently. For once, Lovino sputtered and choked on his words. His face was quite red and he turned and ran into the kitchen.

Antonio smiled.

* * *

"Grandpa, I am going to the market today!" Feliciano sang as he helped Lovino make breakfast. Roma and Antonio were sitting at the table.

"Is that so? I thought you just went?" Roma teased.

"Yes, but I want to bring Antonio today!" he exclaimed. "I want to show you everything, Antonio, I know you will love it!"

"Bastard," Lovino muttered under his breath.

This seemed to catch Feliciano's attention. "You will come too, right Lovi?" His face turned red.

"Of course not, idiota, someone has to stay and help Grandpa with the gardens -"

"Bah, I do not need help, Lovino," Roma scoffed. "Go enjoy the day with your brother."

"But I -"

"That is an order."

"That is an order," Lovino mouthed, mimicking his grandpa. He made a face. Antonio was surprised. Most omegas would not dare talk back to any alpha.

"Then it is settled!" Antonio said. "We will go after breakfast."

"Yay! I am so excited!"

Lovino grumpily slammed a platter down on the table, much harder than necessary. Feliciano took his seat and then, reluctantly, Lovino lowered himself next to his brother. Antonio's eyes followed him, a secret smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Lovino was so different from his brother, despite them looking so much alike.

The four of them ate, Antonio gratefully. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Roma," he said in between mouthfuls. "And for feeding me. It is very kind."

"It was nothing," Roma said generously. "You can stay as long as you need. Besides, Feli likes you, and if I had refused he would have begged me to change my mind to no end."

Antonio laughed. Feliciano was smiling, oblivious to the fact that they were speaking of him. He scarfed down his breakfast, stole most of the remnants of Lovino's, and once more was asking if they could go yet.

"Yes, fine," Roma said. "But the next time you steal your brother's food you will not get any the next meal."

Feliciano paled, despite the fact that Roma had stated the fact quite amiably. Antonio frowned in confusion as Feliciano rambled on, promising not to take any more food. After a minute, Lovino sighed, grabbed his brother by the shirt, and walked out the front door. He called back to Roma.

"We will see you later," he said. "Are you coming, bastard?"

It took a moment for Antonio to realize that bastard meant him. "Ah, yes, Lovi." he said, getting up and going after them.

"Do not call me that." he said darkly.

"Why not?" Antonio asked. Feliciano had already escaped from Lovino's grasp and was skipping ahead.

"Because." Lovino stubbornly marched ahead. Antonio smiled at the back of his head.

* * *

Antonio didn't leave with the others.

He had run into them in the market a day earlier, while Lovino was showing him around. They were gathering everyone together. They had wondered why he didn't have his things. He made a split second decision. He wasn't going.

They had never lost anyone on a trip before, whether by accident or on purpose. Antonio would be the first. He told them reassuringly that it most likely wouldn't be permanent. They reminded him that he had a job. Antonio had frowned. He had forgotten about that. In a week they would be headed back to the City. They said he should as well.

Antonio hummed along with his guitar. The day was beautiful, and small dragonflies flitted about the gardens out back. He should be enjoying it, not worrying about what the others had said. Roma's gardens were lush and sweet smelling. Antonio strummed a soft, dreamlike song as he watched clouds pass overhead.

"Su sonrisa me ilumina," Antonio sang, mind working to come up with more lyrics.

"Oi, bastard," an ornery voice said. Antonio slowly turned to see Lovino leaning in the doorway. "You did not tell me that you have a guitar."

Antonio beamed. "I am sorry, Lovi, would you have liked to know? You could play it if you wish."

Lovino eyed the guitar with envy in his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he answered. "Of course not, bastard, music is lame." He swiveled on his heel and retreated.

"Creo que estoy enamorando de ti," Antonio sang, just a whisper of a tune escaping his lips. He sighed. He was a fool.

* * *

The day before Antonio had to leave, he went out for a walk early in the morning, when the sun was still rising over the hills and mist still clung to the earth. The Vargas's were asleep, the house was quiet. Antonio ventured into the trees, looking around and taking in as much as he could. After a while, he saw a peculiar rock that he recognized. He was close to Lovino's barn, then.

He decided to pay it a visit.

The door was ajar. Antonio wasn't sure if it was supposed to be that way, or if someone, or something, was inside. He treaded carefully.

He heard a voice softly cooing on the other side of the cool barn. Antonio squinted as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. After a moment, he could make out Lovino's form hunched over something.

"Here, you must eat this so you can grow strong," Lovino whispered. "Please, please take it."

"Lovino?" Antonio called out. His voice echoed startlingly.

"Chigi!" Lovino screeched, falling backwards in a messy sprawl. "A… Antonio, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be asleep -"

"I took an early walk," Antonio said, interrupting Lovino. He knew that the Vargas boys could rant on for quite a long time by now. "What is that you have there?"

Lovino's face flushed a delightful red as Antonio approached. "Nothing. Go away."

Antonio didn't back off. He peered behind Lovino to see a small bird, hobbling around with a broken wing. A pile of seeds lay next to it, spilled out of a small canvas sack.

"Are you taking care of this bird?" Antonio asked, folding his legs underneath him. The bird chirped, seemingly in confirmation, while Lovino contradicted it by muttering some excuse.

Antonio reached out a finger, but the bird hopped away. After shifting uneasily for some time, Lovino spoke up. "It refuses to eat anything I offer it, stupid idiota."

Antonio smiled in response. It seemed that his little Lovino was softer than he had realized.

"Try again," he suggested. Lovino scooped up a few of the seeds and held them out to the poor bird. It didn't seem too afraid, but it refused to approach the food.

Antonio's hand closed over Lovino's, pleasuring in how he drew a surprised gasp from the boy. He took the seeds from Lovino's hands and reached out farther.

"You have to place them on the ground," he instructed. "The bird will not eat directly from your hand, it is wild."

Antonio picked up another seed and showed it to the bird. He popped it in his mouth, chewing merrily. "And it needs to be shown that it can trust you." He swallowed.

The bird cautiously approached the seeds Antonio had placed on the ground. After a moment, it began nibbling at them.

"See?" Antonio said, turning to Lovino. He flushed.

"Whatever," he muttered, but it was without heart. They both turned back to see the bird's head buried in the canvas bag.

"Hey, hey, you cannot eat all of them, you have to save them for later! Those are expensive!" Lovino shouted, startling the bird away. Antonio rolled over, laughing heartily.

* * *

" _What is love?" Antonio asked absently._

 _Francis chuckled. "My, Antonio, have you found a woman that has caught your fancy?"_

" _Yes." Antonio said definitively. "Am I in love?"_

 _Gilbert laughed. "Love isn't real," he said._

" _Non, my friend, love is the most real thing in the world," Francis contradicted. "To fall in love is the most beautiful thing that could possibly happen to anyone. Except, perhaps, me."_

 _Gilbert and Antonio both laughed._

" _Fine," Gilbert said. "So love is a thing. But you can only fall in love once, right? How do you know it's the right person?"_

" _I believe you can fall in love again and again," Francis said dreamily. "Each time will be as wonderful - no, more wonderful, than the last."_

" _What do you think, Toni?" Gilbert asked his friend._

" _I think I will fall in love but once," Antonio said. "And even if the other does not love me, I will still love them, because love can be cruel."_

" _I will fall in love many times over," Francis declared. "That is the best way to enjoy life, non?"_

" _I won't ever fall in love," Gilbert decided. "I don't want to be tied down."_

" _How very like you, Gilbert." Francis teased._

Antonio's pack was nearly ready. He sat next to it mournfully. He didn't want to leave the Vargas's. Or more specifically, Lovino. He didn't know much about the omega, but Lovino had shown him little bits and flashes of his true self over the week Antonio had been there, and he wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything about Lovino.

"YOU WHAT?" a huge shout came from downstairs. Antonio jumped, Roma's voice was formidable when he was truly angry. He rushed down the stairs to see what had happened.

Lovino was doing his best not to cower away from his grandfather. They were standing in the living room. Feliciano was in the kitchen, softly whimpering. Antonio touched his shoulder, peeking out to see what was going on.

"I want to go somewhere else than this town, Grandpa!" Lovino exclaimed. "This is all I have ever known. I am seventeen, I can handle myself!"

"You are not going anywhere." Roma growled. "Seventeen is the oldest you have ever been, boy, and you may think that you have enough experience, but you do not."

"How am I ever to get any experience if I am only ever allowed to go to the market and back!" Lovino shouted, red faced. "You are just overprotective because of what happened back then -"

"SILENCE!" Roma boomed. Lovino flinched away, Feliciano dissolved into tears and even Antonio winced.

"You cannot stop me," Lovino said quietly, a few moments of silence later.

"Oh, you are wrong about that," Roma said dangerously.

Lovino strode over to a large chest with a new wave of confidence. He shouldered a large pack and turned to face his grandfather. Roma's eyes glinted.

"So you have been prepared for this," he said.

"Yes," Lovino answered defiantly. "Antonio, get your pack. We are leaving, now."

Antonio ran up the stairs to retrieve his things. When he got back down, no one had moved. Lovino glared at Roma, who shivered with rage. Feliciano held his head between his knees.

"You are ready?" Lovino asked. "Come on."

He walked out the door without looking back. After a moment of hesitation, Antonio followed. Feliciano wasn't far behind.

"Fratello!" Feliciano called. "Wait, fratello!"

Lovino turned, an unusually soft look on his face. He smoothed down Feliciano's hair and kissed him on the forehead.

"Stay with Grandpa," he said. "Listen to what he says. This will not be the last time we see each other, I promise."

"Where are you going?"

"I do not know."

"To the castle," Antonio cut in. "You will come to the castle with me. I can get you work there."

"To the castle," Lovino said, turning back to Feliciano. "Do not cry, idiota. I will see you soon."

Antonio led the way this time, and Lovino followed him down the road.

 _Translations -_

 _Señor - sir_

 _Su sonrisa me ilumina - your smile lights me up_

 _Creo que estoy enamorando de ti - I think I am falling in love with you_

 _Fratello - brother_


	3. Summer to Autumn: Chapter Two

**Main Pairing: Spamano**

 **Rated T (will possibly be changed later). Cardverse and Omegaverse.**

 **I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Don't forget to check my profile for updates on what's going on with me and updates concerning my upload schedule! (I also post links to little oneshots from this universe there :)**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: So to lay out the rest of this fanfiction. Every chapter (except for the final one) will cover six months of time. There will be six scenes per chapter, about one every month. Doing it this way helps me personally, because I am not very good at writing things that happen over long spans of time, and I have five whole years to fill here. Okay. Thanks for your time! I will only post this on one more chapter, so don't worry about seeing it over and over. :)**

Lovino was used to working hard in his grandpa's gardens, spending long days in the hot sun, and enduring when his bones were sore and stiff. But he wasn't used to walking long distances, continuously, even if their pace was slow. Lovino had been walking alongside Antonio for five days now, he had slept on the hard ground, one day it was even raining, and still Antonio trudged on, unaffected -

Needless to say, he wasn't very happy.

Antonio had even gone without shoes the whole way - and Lovino was fairly certain that he didn't hurt at all. Yesterday, Lovino had tied a length of twine around his right boot - the sole was wearing completely off. And his feet hurt like nobody's business.

He wasn't spoiled, but he wasn't tough, either. No matter how much he pretended to be.

All of this stewed around in Lovino's head as he plodded along, making his face turn sourer and sourer as the day passed on. So when Antonio whirled around to face him with a huge grin just before midday, Lovino didn't think before he lashed out.

"Why are you grinning, bastard? You are so stupid, there is no reason to be smiling like a simple person."

Antonio's smile faded slightly, and Lovino's heart twinged with regret, but his face didn't show it.

"I wanted you to see something," Antonio said. "I thought you would be excited."

"Fine, what is it?" Lovino grumbled. Antonio pulled him faster, off the road and up the hill. Lovino shaded his eyes from the sun, noticing that the road curved around the hill and went ahead in the direction Antonio was pulling him.

"Okay, there." Antonio said. Lovino lifted his eyes.

In front of him was the incredible sprawl of the City of Hearts. It seemed to stretch on forever. Lovino's eyes widened. In the distance, past the packed streets and friendly citizens, there was the gleaming Fortress of Hearts.

"That is where we are going," Antonio pointed.

Lovino slumped, pouting. "It is so far."

"Do not worry, Lovi," Antonio said. "We will be taking a carriage through the streets. I will only have the best for you while we are in the city."

"I told you not to call me that, bastard," Lovino said, but a warm feeling spread through his chest.

Antonio snatched an empty carriage as it passed in the streets. Lovino felt gawky and underdressed as Antonio helped him up. They rode through the city, Lovino trying not to gawk at everything they passed. He tried to keep his eyes on his shoes, feeling Antonio's eyes flick to him a couple of times.

The carriage rolled along, bumping at the slightly uneven stones from time to time. A large one sent Lovino sprawling into Antonio's lap, face burning red. He huddled himself as far away as he could get, hugging his knees while Antonio laughed.

They pulled up to the castle and Antonio helped Lovino out of the vehicle. Up close, Lovino could see in much more detail the style and the architectural genius that had created the monument. He admired the sloping curve of the walls, the tall, arched windows and the many verandas. From what he could see, the entire castle was made of marble.

"Do you like it?" Antonio asked knowingly. Lovino scowled, shaming himself for letting his feelings show on his face. "Are we going in or not?"

Antonio gestured grandly to the door. "You mustn't wait for my permission," he said.

Lovino marched ahead, not knowing where he was going but not really caring. He marched past a couple of hallways before he saw a pair of people down one of them. He paused to take a closer look, merely catching a glimpse of a tall blonde and shorter dark haired boy before Antonio caught up. When he saw the two, he cursed under his breath and in one fluid movement pushed Lovino forward, out of the view of the two men, and against the wall. One warm hand covered Lovino's mouth, the other pressing lightly against his hips to keep him there. Lovino blushed.

"What was that for?" he asked, blushing even more deeply when he realized that his lips were caressing Antonio's skin.

"Shh!" Antonio hushed him. "Move, move, before Kiku finds out that you are here!"

Lovino pushed Antonio's hand away. "Bastard, when you brought me with you you should have at least made sure it was okay with your Queen!"

"Quickly, please, I know it will be alright -"

Lovino heard a voice from around the corner, smooth and amused. "Antonio, have you been kidnapping small children again?"

Lovino barely had time to think _kidnapped? again?_ before Antonio let out an embarrassingly high pitched yell. He closed his eyes in embarrassment, pulling away from Lovino. The latter bit his lip to refrain from complaining. "Ah, Queen Kiku, I did not know that you were listening in," Antonio sheepishly said. He poked his head around the corner.

Lovino joined him to get a better look at the Queen. "Queen Kiku? You are the Queen of Hearts then?" He glared at the two of them. Kiku was a short man, and Ludwig a very uncomfortable one, the two of them both dressed in formalities.

Kiku inclined his head. "It is nice to meet you. I am Kiku, and indeed I am the Queen of Hearts. This is Ludwig."

Antonio opened his eyes again, revealing a bright, curious green. "Wow, Kiku, it looks like I was not the only one to find a special someone in our time away!"

Ludwig blushed furiously, coughing a bit. Kiku simply smiled. "Antonio. Please meet the new King of Hearts."

Antonio's green eyes widened. "Oh, I am so sorry! I did not realize - hello, your Majesty -" and here Antonio took a deep bow. "Lovi, bow to him," he hissed out of the side of his mouth.

"Tch," Lovino scoffed. "I will not. Let's get out of here, bastard, before you start licking his shoes."

Ludwig frowned. When Lovino saw the terrifying expression, he squeaked. "Macho bastard," he mumbled before fleeing, Antonio following behind.

* * *

 _Dear Lovino, it is so lonely without you here. I keep looking for you all over but you are not there! Do you not think that is funny? Grandpa keeps sighing all the time and is very tired. I think he misses having your help in the gardens. Now I am trying to help him, but I am not so strong as you are, fratello, and I get all exhausted and sweaty after just a little bit. Oh, I have to go now, but I will send this to you soon! I hope you are having fun with Antonio! Say hi to him for me!_

 _Dear Lovino, Grandpa did not wake up until five this evening. I asked him why and he said he did not even fall asleep until four in the morning! He has not let me go to the market for a long time now, and he seems afraid to let me go out in the fields now. I do not know why, there is nothing out there. Ah well. I hope to see you soon!_

 _Dear Lovino, Rosa was asking for you in the market today. She called for me from three stands away! I thought that way impressive. She is very pretty, I think. When are you going to come back? Grandpa is not mad at you anymore. He is just sad._

 _In other news, I am getting better at gardening! I accidentally killed a few plants, but Grandpa taught me what I did wrong and now I am better! The weeds with deeper roots neither of us can pull out yet, so we just leave them there. I can not wait until you get home!_

Lovino looked down at the scattered letters laid out in front of him. Feliciano had sent ten in the time he had been gone (roughly two months). He had not told Antonio that Feliciano said hi. He had not told anyone about the letters. He could barely read them himself.

 _I am sorry, Feli, I am not coming home,_ he thought.

* * *

"Lovino, are you coming? We are going to be late!" Antonio fussed, straightening his clothes hurriedly as Lovino slipped on his boots. He was taking his time getting dressed, still unaccustomed to the fine cloth and complicated patterns.

"So what if we are late? We are late almost every day, no one cares," Lovino grumbled.

"Because today is the day that the Jack comes to inspect our work," Antonio said, rushing over with panic in his eyes. Lovino was taken aback by the statement. When Antonio's hands reached out to help him finish, he didn't immediately withdraw.

"Wh - What are you doing, bastard?" he spluttered.

"Helping you," Antonio said simply. "Now come, we must hurry."

The two jogged down the hallways, Antonio setting the pace. Lovino was soon lost, as he had been every day coming down to the kitchens since the first.

The two burst through the door. The Jack turned to see them, away from where the rest of the servants were lined up.

"Ah, Antonio," the Jack hissed through his name. "Would you like to explain to me why you and your little toy are late today?"

Antonio covered Lovino's mouth to prevent a biting retort, and got bit for his troubles. "Ah, well you see, Queen Kiku asked us to perform a small task on our way down, so we were delayed. I beg your pardon. Also, if it may please you, I ask you to refrain from calling Lovino my toy."

Lovino stopped struggling against Antonio's hand, thankful that Antonio had spoken up for him. He felt a warm feeling spread through his chest and nearly smiled.

The Jack glared at them. "I may do whatever I want, and you have no place to tell me otherwise, slave,"

The servants gasped, Lovino included. Slave was a low slur, the lowest of the low among the castle folk. There hadn't been slaves around for at least three centuries.

Lovino spoke before he could stop himself. "If you can do whatever you want you might want to try looking in the mirror sometime, shitface."

Antonio shoved Lovino around to face him, tightly gripping his shoulders. "Apologize!" he hissed, eyes aflame.

"What?" Lovino spluttered, startled. "I just -"

"You little -" the Jack yelled, puffing himself up indignantly. "I will have you out of this castle!"

"Just try," Lovino shouted as Antonio dragged him out the door.

Once they were a distance away from the kitchens, Antonio loosened his grip on Lovino's wrist. He sighed, slumping against the wall, and slowly sinking down to the floor. Lovino rubbed his wrist, unsure what to do.

"Ah, Lovino," Antonio sighed, the words barely ghosting off his lips. "Why did you have to do that?"

"I was defending you, you bastard -" Lovino told him crossly. "Next time maybe I will not bother."

Antonio smiled. "Do not get me wrong, I appreciate it. But the Jack is not a pleasant person. If you make him angry he can do terrible things to you. I do not want you to get hurt. And I do not want you to get thrown out, either."

Lovino looked down, trying not to let Antonio see him blushing. He felt stupid now, but of course there was no way he would let Antonio see that.

"I - I have to go see Heracles, bastard," he said. "You… you go… cook or whatever it is you do."

Antonio beamed. "Aww, Lovi, you remembered!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Lovino ran, breathing hard. Why did he always have to be late? The kitchen was already bustling, Antonio sent him a cheeky smile from his station. Lovino scowled in return, grabbed his tools, and tied on his hat as he rushed out the garden door. Heracles was in the far side of the plot, presumably weeding. Or perhaps he had found a cat. He might even be sleeping. You never knew with Heracles.

As Lovino got closer, he saw Heracles pulling up weeds with a vengeance, a small scowl on his face. Oh. So it was one of those days.

"Hey, kid, I see you are late again today," a unfortunately familiar voice said. Lovino scowled and kneeled down to help Heracles viciously rip up weeds and occasionally plants that they shouldn't have ripped up. He ignored the man now standing behind them.

"Do you not have a job to do, Sadiq?" Heracles asked passively.

"Of course, I am supposed to be supervising you two. The Jack told me he did not like the front gardens."

Heracles stood. "You could not have mentioned this before? Now we have to weed the kitchen gardens and redo the entirety of the front gardens?"

Sadiq smirked. "Today."

Heracles half-heartedly glared at Sadiq. "Lovino, go fetch some more servants that are free to help us."

"He said you are not supposed to," Sadiq said annoyingly. "He wants you two to do it so that he knows whether or not he should fire you."

"I think he should fire you," Lovino said abruptly. "All you do is lounge around and order people around and think you are better than everyone. But we work hard all day for half your pay and I think that speaks a lot for itself, do you think?"

Sadiq glared at Lovino. "You little rat!"

Lovino tore back to the kitchens, Sadiq chasing after him. He burst through the doors, causing a bit of a commotion among the servants there. Grabbing the first thing he saw, a plate, he chucked it back at the open door as Sadiq appeared, catching him in the shoulder and shattering on the wall behind. Lovino kept running, throwing another plate back to distract Sadiq and grinning when he heard a yelp of pain. He ran around a counter to create distance between the two, watching the enraged man carefully. As he vaulted around the counter towards Lovino, he grabbed the corner of it to help push himself faster - but his palm landed on a cool, slippery surface and he went crashing to the ground with a cry of pain and the sound of a third plate breaking.

It wasn't the only thing that had broken.

Lovino lay on the ground, curled up into a small ball and clutching his foot. He could barely keep himself from sobbing, taking large, gasping breaths. He looked down to examine his foot. His third toe was broken.

"Lovino!" Antonio cried. He pushed past Sadiq and knelt beside him. "Let me see," he said, hands hovering over Lovino's foot.

"N - no," Lovino said wetly. "Please don't - _hic_ \- touch it!"

"Here," Antonio said, and he gathered Lovino up as he would a small child and lifted him up, careful to keep his foot stable. Lovino clutched lightly to Antonio's flour-soaked shirt and mumbled into his chest. "You better not drop me, bastard."

"Do not worry, Lovi, I am strong from training, it is required of all servants. Remember?" Antonio replied, and Lovino could just hear that he was beaming.

Antonio took him to see Kiku and Ludwig, and they eventually sent for Yao, the Jack of Spades and a practiced healer. Lovino ended up miserable for a while.

And he had an excuse to let Antonio help him around.

* * *

Gardening with Heracles could be peaceful, stressful, or flat out weird, depending on the time of day, temperature, which garden they were in, and the other organisms that were around.

This particular day was fairly warm, in a muggy, slow sort of way, and Heracles had fallen asleep three times even though it was only ten. They were in the front gardens, trying to put the finishing touches on the Jack's redesigned plans for it. There was no Sadiq in sight, which promised a peaceful day. Lovino sighed. It was almost as though he were back home, working in the fields farther out while Feliciano skipped around humming like and idiot and Grandpa sat on the patio, taking a break. Even the presence of Heracles stirred a long forgotten memory: Before he had been old enough and curious enough to work outside, they had had a man to work in the fields. He had stayed for two years that Lovino worked until finally Grandpa knew that they had to fire him. With Heracles by his side, Lovino felt like a small boy again.

Then the snoring came.

"Ugh, you narcoleptic idiot," Lovino groaned. Heracles was born with the condition that made him fall asleep so often, and at completely random and inconvenient times. Lovino shook the man's shoulder until he woke.

Lovino had gotten back to work for less than a minute when another distraction interrupted. Heracles had found a cat.

Lovino sighed. Maybe today wouldn't be as peaceful as he'd thought.

* * *

"Lovi, Lovi!" Antonio shouted. He waved from the door to the main kitchen. "Lovi, come here!"

Lovino stood, wide brimmed hat shading him from the sun. "What do you want, bastard?" he yelled, gesturing widely. "I am busy here!"

"You have a visitor!" Antonio responded, completely unaffected by Lovino's sour mood.

Lovino took his time meandering to the door. When he got close, Antonio ran up and grabbed his hand, dragging him the rest of the way. They weaved through the kitchen, Antonio expertly avoiding all of the others and Lovino barely holding on. When they got to the set of door leading out, Antonio stopped and pushed him ahead.

Queen Kiku and King Ludwig were waiting for him. Lovino gulped nervously.

"Lovino," Kiku said, nodding. "Thank you for coming."

"Have I done something wrong, your Majesty?" Lovino asked, trying not to show his nerves.

"Nothing," Kiku said simply. "You work has been diligent and steady. We have decided to reward you, as thanks."

Lovino blinked in surprise. "Oh."

"Our cook Antonio happens to be a friend of Ludwig," Kiku said. "He has mentioned that you wish to have a garden of your own?"

Lovino's eyes widened. "Oh - well, it is not really a big deal," he said, trying to play it off.

"I am afraid we cannot give you much space, but a small plot of the land will be yours to do what you will with it, owing nothing to the castle. Do not doubt yourself or play down your abilities, Lovino. You are valuable to the Hearts Kingdom."

"Do you say that to all of your servants?" Lovino asked.

"I say it when it is true," Kiku replied smoothly. "We will settle the details when you have free time. Please, continue your work."

Lovino continued his job the rest of that day in a daze. At the end of the day, he told Antonio about it. Antonio was excited. Lovino was too, even if he denied it.

 **To be continued in Chapter 3, the next six months of their story.**


	4. Winter to Spring: Chapter Three

**Main Pairing: Spamano**

 **Rated T (will possibly be changed later). Cardverse and Omegaverse.**

 **I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Don't forget to check my profile for updates on what's going on with me and updates concerning my upload schedule!**

 **My new beta/editor/amazing person beta-ed/edited/made this new chapter sparkly, so please give warm thanks to vampireanna'dancer!**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: So to lay out the rest of this fanfiction. Every chapter (except for the final one) will cover six months of time. There will be six scenes per chapter, about one every month. Doing it this way helps me personally, because I am not very good at writing things that happen over long spans of time, and I have five whole years to fill here. Okay. Thanks for your time! :)**

WINTER TO SPRING, THE FIRST YEAR: CHAPTER THREE

Antonio was an expert at his job.

He had grown up in the kitchen… experimenting with his family (which sometimes led to disaster), creating masterpieces (or so he thought), and eventually, creating his own recipes (he started that a little earlier than he should have). But over the years of cooking and stirring and baking and tasting, his 'masterful' creations began to morph into true masterpieces, befitting the title he now held: the head cook in the finest kitchen in Hearts.

Unfortunately (in many ways), he was not an expert in everything. One such thing in particular was emotion…

More specifically love.

Antonio was burdened with thoughts of his strong attraction to Lovino… a man many years his junior. He didn't know how to handle these feelings. Would anything even be possible between them? Was the age gap too much? Would the very thought of 'them' appall Lovino? Antonio winced sharply, quickly schooling his features once again when he realised the expression was rather worrying to the outside eye. Antonio lost himself momentarily as a flood of memories washed over him, all including Lovino. Despite all that grouchiness and ill-manner that so effectively turned everyone away, Antonio knew that inside Lovino there resided a sweet, kind boy, just waiting for someone to discover him. He just didn't quite know how to reach his 'secret Lovino' just yet.

However, the age gap was rather worrying on its own and a memory quickly filled him with more indecision and worry. Once, long ago when he, Gilbert, and Francis were still inseparable, like glue, Gilbert had made a remark that now flooded Antonio's mind.

" _Mes amis, what do you think? Should I go for her?"_

" _Francis, you're such a pedophile. She's at least three years younger than us! Creepy, am I right?"_

Antonio had laughed at the time, but now he was worried. What if the thought of a potential relationship really did disgust Lovino? There was no way he could stand Lovino being disgusted with him. No way.

All of this and more had been plaguing Antonio for days. And he wasn't sure exactly what he should be done about it. Should anything be done about it? Or should any thoughts of an 'us' with Lovino just be laid down to rot right now? Gilbert wouldn't be returning for at least another month and he hadn't had contact with Francis for nearly a year now. He ground his teeth in grim acceptance. He would just have to deal with this situation on his own.

* * *

"King Ludwig," Antonio called playfully, "I am heading down to the streets for today, mind if I take a day off?"

"Of course," Ludwig said, "Please return before dark."

Antonio laughed. Ludwig was always very formal; it was nigh on impossible to talk to him without any of the stuffy formality. This quality of his had been present ever since he was a child, it had probably become a habit of sorts. "It is hard to get a rise out of you, no?"

Ludwig shrugged, his expression unchanged.

Antonio sighed good naturedly, before gracing the occupants of the room with a smile as he turned to leave. But as soon as the doors closed behind him, the smile faded. When was Gilbert ever going to tell Ludwig of his fate?

Antonio left the castle, walking down the large paved road. Gilbert always pretended that he had suddenly gone deaf whenever Antonio asked him about Ludwig. It had been years since Gilbert had passed away, or whatever it was that had happened to him. Ludwig wasn't one to talk about it, but everyone knew he was still grieving internally.

Antonio wasn't certain what exactly Gilbert felt the need to be scared of.

Antonio waited at the edge of the city, hands half hanging out of his pockets. A cloud slowly moved across the sun's path, allowing Gilbert's image to fade in until it could almost be called opaque.

Gilbert squinted. "It's harder coming here when it's so bright."

"I was worried."

"Cheesy idiot," Gilbert said through an amused smirk. "How've you been?"

"Decent, I suppose," Antonio said, feeling his facial muscles loosen into a relaxed grin in return. He found that he could always release any tension he may have been harbouring when around Gilbert. "Work has been interesting lately; we've gained a new staff member and they're quite the headstrong one."

Gilbert's eyes flashed. "And I see this addition has taken your fancy."

Antonio's eyes drifted to the side, choosing to focus on the loose gravel beside him than on the silver-head of his friend.

Gilbert leaned in slightly, breathing in deeply through his nose. "Yep, I can smell him all over you."

Green eyes glanced up. "How do you know it is a he?"

Gilbert grinned, crossing his arms. "I know lots of things... Lovino Vargas… eighteen years."

"Have you been following me?" Antonio questioned with a teasing suspicion.

"A little. I get bored. And Peter is really annoying. And I still can't figure out how to see Eliza."

"Is she not married to the Jack of Clubs now?"

"Going to be," Gilbert countered fiercely. "She's not yet."

Antonio shook his head. "So you still chase after her, after all this time."

"Of course! She loves me."

"And do you love her?" Antonio asked, trying to hold back a smile.

Gilbert shifted. "Maybe."

Antonio snorted, amused. "Coming from the one who claimed he would never fall in love."

"Coming from the one who claimed he would only fall in love once! This is the… what, third time now?"

"I was wrong before," Antonio said softly, and truly meaning it. "I love Lovino. My feelings for the others pale compared to how I feel for him - no, they white out completely. He blinds me. He blinds me, and I barely know him." Antonio let out a bitter laugh. "I barely know him, Gilbert. He is so… so closed off. I try so hard to get to know him, but I just can't! Because… in the end it's up to him, how much of himself he allows other to discover, and he just won't let it get that far. It is hopeless, and it hurts." After his rant, Antonio took a deep breath. He was surprised at all of the emotion that had just flooded out of him.

Gilbert was silent for a moment, a rare thing. "Give it time," he said quietly, as if to pretend he wasn't speaking at all.

"How much?" Antonio asked.

"However long he needs. If you love him, it'll be worth the wait. But if he doesn't love you then maybe… you should try to move on."

 _I cannot move on_ , Antonio thought. _Not ever. I love Lovino Vargas, and I will always love him, even if he does not love me._

After a moment, Gilbert quietly changed the subject. "How is Ludwig?"

Antonio glanced up at him. "You would know if you visited him."

"I can't. We've talked about this, 'tonio."

"No, I have asked and _you_ have avoided the topic. Ludwig is fine."

"Fine?"

"He is tired, but strong and a good leader. Quiet. Polite. Kind, I believe… He is fine."

"Is he happy?"

"I don't know."

"Can you find out?"

"What are you so afraid of?"

The words came out loud, harsher than Antonio had intended them to, wincing as he took in Gilbert's defensive reaction. He wished to revoke them, but that's just the thing about spoken words… he couldn't.

"Who are you to ask?" Gilbert snapped out. Antonio stared at him in shock. His friend glared back, jaw clenched. He didn't back down.

"Perhaps I should leave," Antonio muttered.

"Perhaps you should," Gilbert said stiffly.

Antonio turned his back.

"Please do not let this come between us," he whispered. "I can't lose you too."

An image of Francis, walking away from him and into Diamonds, played behind his eyelids as he stepped away.

* * *

Antonio woke early in the morning. He used the lone mirror, a grimy little thing, in his room in an attempt to style his hair. But after dozens of different looks, he ended up deciding to keep it the same way it usually was. Then he carefully pulled on his clothes, trying not to wrinkle them. Today had to go perfectly.

Lovino was working on the King's balcony this morning; Antonio himself had ensured it. Kiku had asked him to install a hanging garden there for Ludwig to enjoy. What Lovino didn't know was that Antonio had a surprise planned for him.

Antonio grabbed his guitar, using an amazing amount of self-restraint to stop himself from practically skipping and jumping out the doors. After all, he needed to be perfect for this. He couldn't look mussed or flustered.

He made his way outside to a bit of cloud cover and a more depressingly muggy morning than he had hoped. For a moment he almost considered going back inside and waiting until tomorrow, when it might be sunnier. But he quickly shook the thought out of his head. His mind was simply creating excuses to procrastinate; it could very well rain tomorrow.

Lovino was on the balcony, just as Kiku had promised.

He was focused on his hands, an adorable scowl tugging his lips down. His eyebrows were furrowed, eyes gleaming with intensity. Antonio cleared his throat. He didn't look up.

So he started strumming, softly, just loud enough so that it would carry. At this, Lovino looked up, curious. His eyes found Antonio's and he began to sing.

The song was one that his mother had taught him, with some lyrics altered by Antonio himself. He sang some words in English, some in Spanish…

 _Mi amor, tu eres mi amor…_

 _Please give me some kind of sign…_

 _Yo necesito tu con mi…_

Antonio was afraid to look up at Lovino while he played. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground, on his fingers, lifting his head occasionally to make sure his voice was loud enough to reach Lovino. When he finished, he looked up after a moment to see the brown-haired boy of his affections, red faced and looking suspiciously close to tears. A lone pair of hands clapping came to Antonio's attention. He turned to see Heracles, who had apparently been watching from a distance. When he turned back around to face Lovino, the boy had whirled around and was disappearing inside.

"Lovino!" Antonio called. But he was already gone. Right there Antonio's heart nearly broke. He promised himself that he wouldn't burden Lovino with his feelings if he did not return them. He needed to keep them to himself.

He ran into Lovino soon after. The boy glared at him half heartedly, hesitating for a moment before hurrying away. Antonio watched him go silently.

* * *

Antonio was one of the only ones working in the kitchens today, as many of the others were on break. He had to move very quickly to keep up with all of the different things he was working on. He was, at the moment, preparing lunch, and he had three different things cooking, one pot of water heating, and vegetables to chop. He glared at the other two servants, who were playing a card game next to the uncut vegetables, as he checked the pot and then the stove anxiously. The bread was nearly ready to come out.

He slid it out of the oven after another moment, plopping it down in front of the others along with a bread knife. "You are behind," he said. "Slice the bread and season it, butter it, then set it aside and _chop the damn vegetables_."

"Wow," one of them said, mildly impressed. "I don' think I've ever 'eard mister sunshine swear before."

Antonio steamed some more. "Did you not hear me? Get to work, or I will report to the King."

"Report what?" a voice said. Antonio picked up Ludwig's scent among the many others in the room. He must not have noticed it earlier due to all of the smells of the food.

"Your Highness," he said, bowing. "Please excuse me, I must check the oven." On his way there, he picked up a wooden tray to hold the meat on in case it was ready.

Antonio peeked in, a wave of heat warming his face. Both of the meats still had a little while to go.

"And what are you two doing?" he heard Ludwig question behind him.

"I don't know," one answered lamely. The other came up with a better excuse.

"Antonio won' let us help. He thinks 'imself better than the rest of us."

Antonio turned around quickly, slamming his tray down on the counter. "I have told you countless times, chop the vegetables, slice the bread! If the vegetables are not prepared when the meat is done, it will take that much longer to saute them, and the meat will cool and dry while that happens. If you wish to blame me for your laziness, then perhaps you will reconsider once I am gone and you never get any of your meals completed on time!"

Ludwig turned away with a slight smirk.

Antonio's ears were filled with a terrible sound. He looked over at the stove in a panic, taking in the view of a rapidly boiling over pot.

"No, no, no." He rushed over, removing the pot and setting it aside. He turned down the temperature of the flame, letting the pot cool and leaving it. He would return it to the heat again in a minute.

Over at the other counter, Ludwig was now supervising the other two as they sullenly did their jobs. Antonio nodded, satisfied. It was a good thing Ludwig was on his side. Too bad that he still didn't know about Gilbert…

 _Let's not think about Gilbert_ , he thought grimly.

He checked the meat again. Almost there.

He pulled out another pan and plopped a generous amount of butter into it. He set it on another burner, turning the heat up to let it melt.

"Are you nearly done?" he asked.

"Sure," one grumbled. "Here is a pile."

"Good." Antonio said, scooping the vegetables up and depositing them into the pan. When they finished with the rest, he brought them over as well. He breathed in deeply. He loved this smell. It was a part of the reason why he enjoyed cooking so much.

The meat!

He grabbed his tray once more and a heat resistant glove. Opening the oven, he carefully reached in and pulled the meat out.

One of the men was slicing the bread slowly while the other retrieved spices and butter. Antonio set the tray down near them.

"Go douse the fire," Antonio directed to the one that was not currently busy. He picked up a knife himself and began to cut the meat into chunks.

"Is there anything in particular you need, King Ludwig? I apologise for the delay."

"No, I am fine. I wished to see how you work."

"Feel free to seat yourself anywhere. Spices, Partini."

Partini handed over the spices. Antonio mixed a selection of them, quickly spreading them over the meat and watching approvingly as they melted into the meat.

"Alphonso, could you put the pot back on the burner? And put the base in the pot as well."

"Do this, do that, what are you doing?"

Antonio merely checked to see that Alphonso was doing as he was told before chuckling softly. He didn't dignify the question with a response.

Antonio glanced at Partini, who was now slowly spreading butter across the bread. "You must be the slowest worker I have had the misfortune to work with," he muttered. Ah well. At least the bread wasn't going into the soup.

Antonio checked the vegetables. He picked one up carefully and tasted it.

"Good. Alphonso! The vegetables, in the pot, please."

After Alphonso scraped all of the vegetables in, Antonio carefully followed suit with the meat, trying not to splash anything and burn himself.

"Spices, Partini!" he called.

Partini brought over the spices.

"Which one… ah! There it is." Antonio picked up the jar and shook a bit into the broth.

"Thank you, Partini… Now, Alphonso, would you like to taste it, or should I?"

"Why are you asking me, o wise and powerful lord?" Alphonso sneered.

"Me it is." Antonio picked up a spoon and tested it.

"Good. Ludwig, would you like a taste?"

"No, thank you, I will wait until lunch."

"Suit yourself. What time is it?"

"Eleven," Partini answered first.

"Eleven." Antonio frowned. "Lunch might be a bit late today, depending on how long it needs to simmer."

"I do not mind," Ludwig said. "I am sure Kiku will not either. The Jack, I cannot speak for, however."

Antonio frowned, but breathed in the scent of the soup. "I love cooking," he sighed. He allowed this thought to erase the thought of a displeased Jack of Hearts from his mind.

He heard a crash, and a tinkle of glass.

"Partini! The spices!"

* * *

"Good morning, Lovino." Antonio said as the boy entered the kitchen. He had been up since the crack of dawn, cleaning up the mess that Maria had left last night. He really needed to ask for a pay rise.

Lovino had been distant for a while, ever since the balcony incident. Usually he didn't answer Antonio's greeting. But today he snatched a small fruit from the basket by the door and hoisted himself onto a counter, chomping down into it. Antonio felt his eyes roaming over his form as he rolled out dough. He let a small smile escape his lips.

Eventually, Lovino approached him. Antonio felt his scent become stronger until it was right behind him.

"What are you doing, bastard?"

Antonio smiled to himself. "I am rolling out dough for a pizza, Lovi."

"That is obvious, idiot. I meant - well, look."

Lovino reached over and took the pin from Antonio's hands. Antonio glanced at him in surprise.

"You are rolling like this, no?" he said, mimicking the rolling motion Antonio had been making, up and down across the length of the dough. "But it is not even. You end up putting more pressure in the beginning of the push, leaving a thicker crust along the middle. This is fine if you fix it later. But you were not aware of it, were you?"

Antonio looked at Lovino curiously. "How do you know this?"

"I am a commoner, remember? We make all of our own food." Lovino shoved Antonio over with his hip. "To fix it, you roll out from the middle to the edges, but only gently." He demonstrated in the air over the dough.

"Let me try," Antonio said. He copied Lovino's movements. True to his word, when Antonio inspected it, it did look more even than Antonio had ever rolled before.

"It's still too small," Lovino said, inspecting the circle. "If you intend to serve it, I mean."

Antonio grinned. "That, now, I can fix." Carefully, he picked up the circle of dough, and after making certain that Lovino's eyes were locked on his, spun it up into the air.

Lovino's eyes went as wide as the fruit he had been eating earlier. "You can toss dough!" he said, forgetting to hide his excitement.

"My brother taught me how," Antonio. "And now I will teach you."

Antonio approached Lovino, hands circling around the others' thin wrists. "Hold your hands this way," he instructed softly. "And take the dough."

Lovino received the disk uncertainly, being overly gentle. Antonio smiled. "Do not be afraid of ripping it, you are still learning. Now, twist your hands in the opposite direction of the way you want to throw it."

Lovino followed his every instruction, eyes shining, though he tried to hide his eagerness behind a scowl.

"Now simply practice the motions without tossing yet. Bring your hands up towards your face and twist slightly as though you are planning to spin it."

Lovino did so, winding and unwinding his arms several times before his impatience showed through. "Can I toss yet? This is pointless and stupid."

"Not quite," Antonio chuckled. "There is one last thing to remember. Always toss with less strength than you think you will need, at least until you get a feel for how much strength is actually needed."

Lovino paused. "Why?" he asked after a moment, still attempting to act as though he didn't really care.

"Because the dough could go flying across the room!" Antonio said brightly.

Lovino took a deep breath. "Okay, bastard, I get it."

Slowly, and carefully, Lovino prepared himself. However, as his arms moved into the motion, his face went white and he seemed to start panicking. The dough flew into the air, and Antonio was momentarily delighted, but then Lovino started shouting. "Crap, bastard, you didn't tell me how to catch it, Antonio -!"

Antonio moved without thinking. He lunged forward, stretching his arms out and pulling Lovino's along with him as the dough came back down. Just in time, their wrists both came together under the crust as it landed, sending up a poof of flour. Lovino coughed, once.

Antonio paused to register what had just happened. He was now standing flush against Lovino's back, arms around him, with the two of them supporting a, now successfully tossed, pizza crust.

"Y - you did that on purpose, bastard," Lovino stammered. Antonio could practically _feel_ his face go red. Instead of pulling away, Antonio buried his nose into Lovino's neck, ignoring the gasp he let out. Antonio breathed in Lovino's scent for one long, glorious moment before retreating.

Lovino carefully slid the dough onto the counter. Antonio looked away, smiling slightly, Lovino's scent still making his mind a daze. He snapped out of it, however, as something rather heavy crashed into his gut.

"Bastard!"

Antonio stared down at him. It appeared as though he had just been head butted by a very red faced Lovino.

He burst out into laughter, only succeeding in making Lovino madder. He started to throw weak punches at Antonio's middle, half-heartedly scolding him.

"No, stop it bastard, you are not supposed to laugh! I am being serious! Hey, are you listening? Hey!"

* * *

The sun streamed in through the large windows, falling on the breakfast table where Antonio was sitting. He let the corners of his mouth curve into a smile as he took in the view outside. Today was his break. He was glad it was sunny, however he had no idea what exactly he was supposed to do with his time.

"Antonio," a voice called. Antonio turned to see Kiku, along with another servant named Manon, at the door.

"I am aware that today is your day off, but Manon would like to know if you could perhaps teach her the waltz? She wishes to attend a ball hosted by her cousin." Kiku explained.

"Of course I will!" Antonio said. "Just give me a minute to finish my breakfast, okay?"

Kiku inclined his head and turned to leave, Manon joining Antonio at the table.

"Thanks for agreeing," she said. "Even though today is your break and you do not know me."

"I don't mind, and I didn't have any plans." Antonio reassured her.

Antonio worked away the afternoon teaching Manon the proper steps, practicing with her over and over until she had it down. At one point, Kiku sent in a musician to play them music. Just as the pair were reaching the end of their third song, when Antonio was supposed to dip Manon, the doors burst open and Lars strode in. From the looks (and the smell) of things, he was not happy.

He stomped over to Antonio and shoved him away. "Get away from my sister, jerk."

"Hey!" Manon frowned. "You ruined our dance!"

Antonio looked around Lars' form, smiling. "Then we will simply have to practice it once more."

"You are not dancing with my sister. I will dance with her."

"Lars, stop it, I don't want to dance with you!"

"Manners, Manon," Lars glared.

"Go away."

"No!"

Eventually, Antonio slipped away, along with the musician, both of them leaning against the doors with twin sighs. They took a moment to allow the previous events to sink in a little, before sharing a hushed, but hearty, laugh.

To be continued in Chapter 4, the next six months of their story.

 _Translations -_

 _Mi amor, tu eres mi amor - My love, you are my love_

 _Yo necesito tu con mi - I need you with me_


End file.
